Sulfur Dioxide in Grapes

The following article was taken from the May 2008 newsletter, which is on the additive alert website http://www.additivealert.com.au/ .

Recently I discovered by accident that it is routine practice Australia wide to treat fresh grapes with sulfur dioxide gas to extend shelf life. All grapes which are going to be stored 5 days or longer are likley to have been exposed to the gas.( Source: West Australian Agriculture Department).
Unfortunatley, there is no requirement for this to be declared at point of sale. I only discovered this because Coles DO declare this in their packaged grapes voluntarily. ( Pat on the back to Coles!!)
This is a big concern for asthmatics in particular. It is well known that sulfur dioxide is a virulent trigger for many asthmatics and many people go to great trouble to avoid obvious sources of sulfites such as dried fruit, but it is not commonly known about grapes. The WHO has recommended that the use of sulfites be phased out because of the known risk to asthmatics worldwide.
Please, if you know anyone with asthma or kids with asthma, pass this information on so they can make informed choices and avoid grapes if they need to.
Discoveries such as this just reinforce the sense of buying fresh, local produce , in season and preferably organic where possible. They longer the grapes have to be stored , the greater their exposure to SO2 will be.